Feathebs



0. J; PENNELL.

Feather Rgnovator. No. 28,500. Patented May 2.9,1860.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

O. .T. PENNELL, OF YVILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

.BENOVATING FEATHERS.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, O. J. PENNELL, of lVilliamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Implement or Device for Renovating Feathers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a longitudinal vertical and central section of my invention. Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section of my invention, taken in the line an, m, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a device by which old geese feathers may be perfectly cleansed and renovated so as to be equal to new ones both as regards appearance and use.

The invention consists in the employment or use of a steam boiler in connection with an air-heating device, applied to a hollow shaft, provided with radial arms perforated at their ends and placed within a cylinder or box which has ventilating openings provided with flaps or doors all being arranged substantially as hereinafter described, whereby the feathers after being properly steamed, may be dried rapidly by heated air and while within the cylinder or box in which they were steamed, thereby causing the cleansing and drying to be expeditionsly performed at one operation.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a stove or fire pot which is double-walled forming an air-heating chamber B perforated or open at its lower end and having a pipe C, communicating with its upper end. On the top of the stove A, a steam boiler D, is placed. This boiler has a steam pipe E, attached which pipe communicates with a horizontal pipe F, leading into a polygonal-shaped box G. The pipe C, of the air-heating chamber B, also communicates with the plpeF, and pipe C, is provided with a cook a, and a cock I), is placed in the pipe F, between the steam and hot air pipes E, C, the pipe F, is also provided with a cock 0, near its outer end.

Within the box G, a hollow shaft H, is placed longitudinally and centrally. One end of this shaft H, is fitted on the end of the shaft F, and is allowed to turn freely thereon and the opposite end of shaft H, is closed and provided with a journal cl, which has its bearing in the end piece of the box as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft H, is provided with radial hollow arms 6, the ends of which have perforated tubes 7", attached at right angles, the tubes f, being parallel with the shaft H, and quite near the sides of the box G, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. At top and bottom of the box G, there is an opening, g, covered with wire cloth and provided each with a flap or door h.

The operation is as follows: The fire is built in the stove, A, and steam generated in the boiler E, the box G, is then supplied with the feathers to be renovated, and the cooks 0, a, closed, the cock I), being open. The steam passes up through the pipe E, into F, and through F, into the hollow shaft H, and then into the arms 6, the steam escaping from the perforations of the tubes f. The shaft H, is rotated while the steam is passing through it and the feathers while being steamed are agitated or thrown around within the box under the action of the arms 6, and tubes f, which serve as heaters and every portion of the feathers will be thoroughly acted upon. After the feathers have been thoroughly steamed the steam is shut off by closing the cook I), and the cock 0, is opened to allow the steam to escape from boiler D, if not desired for future use. The cook a, of the pipe C, is then opened and the hot air passes through the hollow shaft H, and escapes from the perforations of the tubes f. The flaps or doors h, are then a hollow rotating shaft within a feather reopened and the feathers are soon dried in consequence of the evaporation which is allowed by the opening of the flaps or doors.

I am aware that steam has been employed and applied in a Way similar to that herein shown anddescribed for cleansing feathers, but, I am not aware that an air-heating device has ever been combined with a steam generating one for the purpose of steaming and drying the feathers at one operation.

I do not claim therefore the employment or use of a steam boiler communicating with 

